Good news in the fight against cancer: New and promising treatments

Recently, very good news has emerged for people battling certain types of hard-to-treat cancers. Two new and innovative cell therapies have been approved, meaning doctors now have new tools to help patients. These therapies are called

• Lifileucel, a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for unresectable or metastatic melanoma, and
• Afamitresgen autoleucel, an engineered T-cell therapy for unresectable or metastatic synovial sarcoma,

What are these “cell therapies”?

Imagine your own body has an army of cells (called immune cells or T-cells) that fight against diseases, including cancer. Cell therapies are treatments that use these body cells to attack and destroy cancer cells. It’s like training and arming the body’s own army to be more effective against cancer.

How do these new approved treatments work?

1. Lifileucel (TIL Therapy): Training the body’s own soldiers
   • This therapy is based on special cells called “tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes” (TILs). These are immune cells that have already entered the cancerous tumor, attempting to attack it.
   • How is it done? Doctors remove a small piece of the patient’s tumor. From this piece, they extract these TIL cells. Then, in the lab, these cells are “trained” and multiplied in very large numbers (billions). Once ready, these “super-trained” cells are given back to the patient through an infusion. They return to the body and attack the cancer cells.
   • What you need to know: Although this therapy shows good results (approximately 1 in 3 melanoma patients respond to treatment), it can be a difficult process for the patient. It requires hospitalization for a longer period and a recovery time. However, for hard-to-treat cancers, it is a promising option.
2. Afamitresgen autoleucel: Genetically modifying T-cells for a more targeted fight
   • This is an “engineered T-cell therapy”. This means the patient’s T-cells are genetically modified in the lab to better recognize and attack the specific cancer cells of synovial sarcoma.

What does an expert say?

Dr. Alison Betof Warner, a doctor with extensive experience in this field, says that ten years ago, the idea that we would have such effective treatments for solid tumors seemed like a distant dream. The fact that these therapies are now approved gives hope that other similar treatments will become available to patients.

Other types of cell therapies in development:

Besides TIL therapy, there are other methods by which immune cells are “trained” to fight against cancer:

• CAR T-cell therapy: Here, the patient’s T-cells are genetically modified to produce special “receptors” (called CARs) on their surface. These receptors act like “keys” that fit perfectly onto the “locks” (antigens) on the surface of cancer cells, helping the T-cells find and destroy them. This therapy has had great success in blood cancers and is now being studied for solid tumors.
• Engineered T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy: This is similar to CAR T, but the T-cells are modified to recognize proteins found inside cancer cells, not just on their surface. This opens up new possibilities to attack different types of cancer. A promising example is a substance called IMA203, which targets a protein (PRAME) found in large quantities in melanoma, but almost none in healthy tissues.

History and future of TIL therapy:

The idea of using TIL cells to treat cancer is not new, dating back to the 1980s. However, only recently, due to advances in understanding how cancer and the immune system work, have these therapies been developed and brought to patients.

Are there risks?

Like any powerful treatment, cell therapies can also have risks and side effects. Because T-cells are modified to be very active, there is a risk that they may also attack healthy cells in the body, causing autoimmune reactions.

• TIL therapies, because they use cells that are not genetically modified and are a combination of several types of T-cells, seem to have a lower risk of mistakenly attacking healthy tissues.
• It is very important that patients receiving these treatments are closely monitored for any side effects.

What does the approval of these therapies mean?

The fact that these therapies have been approved (sometimes through a faster process, called “accelerated approval”) shows how promising they are. However, it is essential for doctors and patients to be aware of the potential risks and the need for close medical supervision. Clinical trials continue to gather even more information about the safety and effectiveness of these treatments.

Hope for the future:

The ultimate goal of this research is to transform cancer treatment. Instead of being a chronic disease that patients have to live with for a long time, it is hoped that these cell therapies will offer definitive cures or at least very long periods without disease (long-lasting remissions). Researchers are hopeful that these innovative treatments will bring a major change for patients with complex forms of cancer.

Source Medscape